International Snow Leopard and Ecosystem Forum Science Symposium and Exposition Presentation Abstracts

The document provides a collection of research abstracts focusing on the intersection of climate change and snow leopard conservation. Key themes include the loss of potential habitat due to rising temperatures, the importance of ecosystem-based adaptation for mountain communities, and the role of community-led initiatives in reducing poaching and human-wildlife conflict. It also details genetic research identifying three snow leopard subspecies and explores the economic valuation of ecosystem services in high-mountain landscapes to incentivize conservation.

• Climate change is causing significant glacier loss in Nepal; from 1977 to 2010, the glacier area decreased by 24% and the volume of ice reserves decreased by 29%.
• Modeling of potential snow leopard habitat under different climate scenarios predicts substantial losses by 2070: a 54% loss under the stabilizing RCP 4.5 scenario and a 61% loss under the worst-case RCP 8.5 scenario.
• Certain mountain ranges—specifically Altai, Qilian, and Tian Shan-Pamir-Hindu Kush-Karakoram—have remained stable habitats since the last ice age and are expected to remain so until the late 21st century, serving as critical refugia.
• Genetic analysis of snow leopards across their range supports the recognition of three distinct subspecies: Panthera uncia irbis (Northern), Panthera uncia uncia (Western), and Panthera uncia uncioides (Central).
• The economic value of provisioning ecosystem services in snow leopard landscapes is high, estimated to be between 1.8 and nearly 40 times the local annual household incomes.
• Poaching data from 2003 to mid-2016 indicates that the majority of snow leopards are killed in retaliation for livestock attacks (55%) or by non-targeted methods like snares (18%), while only 21% are poached specifically for illegal trade.
• In Mongolia, a student-led campaign in Khovd Province resulted in the collection of 234 jaw traps through an exchange program, leading the province to become the first in Mongolia to ban jaw traps and snares for hunting.
• The Tost-Tosonbumba Mountain area in Mongolia was approved as a Nature Reserve on April 14, 2016, marking the first park in the world dedicated specifically to snow leopards.

APA

WWF International (2017). International Snow Leopard and Ecosystem Forum Science Symposium and Exposition Presentation Abstracts. https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/565/8cqkaq17cl_GSLEP_Compiled_Abstracts_2017.09.25_Final.pdf

Chicago

WWF International. International Snow Leopard and Ecosystem Forum Science Symposium and Exposition Presentation Abstracts. 2017. https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/565/8cqkaq17cl_GSLEP_Compiled_Abstracts_2017.09.25_Final.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=WWF International |title=International Snow Leopard and Ecosystem Forum Science Symposium and Exposition Presentation Abstracts |date=24 August 2017 |url=https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/565/8cqkaq17cl_GSLEP_Compiled_Abstracts_2017.09.25_Final.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{wwfinternational2017international, author = {{WWF International}}, title = {{International Snow Leopard and Ecosystem Forum Science Symposium and Exposition Presentation Abstracts}}, institution = {WWF International}, year = {2017}, month = aug, url = {https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/565/8cqkaq17cl_GSLEP_Compiled_Abstracts_2017.09.25_Final.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }